Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Tasked to Prove the Potential of
Biomarker Research
SEATTLE, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- A $5 million grant from the Paul G.
Allen Family Foundation will accelerate Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center's progress toward early detection of breast and prostate cancer
through an innovative "proof-of-principle" project that will set new
standards for the field.
Early cancer-detection research strives to identify specific biomarkers
-- tumor-derived or responsive proteins in the blood -- that can indicate
the presence of cancer long before symptoms begin, when the opportunity for
cure is highest. The term "proof-of-principle" refers to a project that
confirms a premise -- in this case, by testing the theory that biomarkers
can herald early cancer development with a high degree of accuracy in a
living organism. The Allen Foundation's grant will fund science at the
Hutchinson Center that seeks to demonstrate that biomarkers can be
correlated with the presence of cancer in a mouse, yielding a blueprint for
future discoveries relevant to early cancer detection in humans.
"The Allen Foundation's landmark gift will enable us to reach toward
our vision of detecting cancer at its earliest stages using a simple and
highly accurate blood test," said Lee Hartwell, Ph.D., president and
director of the Center. "Identifying biomarkers in a mouse model, which is
genetically predictable in the laboratory, leverages our ability to find
cancer early in humans," Hartwell said.
The resulting knowledge ultimately could shift the emphasis of cancer
care away from treatment of advanced disease and toward early detection of
cancer in persons known to be susceptible or just starting to develop the
disease, Hartwell said.
Paul Allen said that through the grant he seeks to strengthen one of
the Northwest's leading scientific assets, laying the groundwork for
federal and industry involvement in the Hutchinson Center's early
cancer-detection research. "The scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center are not afraid to undertake risky projects to achieve big
payoffs, which aligns with our philosophy at the Foundation," Allen said.
"Ambitious and high-risk projects like these are necessary, and we hope
they will ultimately lead to higher cancer-survival rates."
Allen emphasizes the need for improved cancer-screening tools. "Early
cancer detection saves lives; most of us can cite examples of loved ones
who might have survived had their disease been discovered in time," he
said. "Many forms of cancer are insidious and currently quite difficult to
detect before they have progressed. We need more-effective early
cancer-detection tests and we need them as soon as possible. This grant to
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is intended as a catalyst to make
that happen earlier and hopefully save lives."
Susan M. Coliton, senior director of the Paul G. Allen Family
Foundation, said the research project is in keeping with the Foundation's
goals. "As one facet of its mission, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
strives to expand knowledge that improves lives. This groundbreaking
biomarker research has the potential to do just that."
Peter Nelson, M.D., an associate member of the Center's Human Biology
Division, will serve as the project's scientific coordinator. "This
generous gift gives us the tools to demonstrate that specific
biomarker-identification strategies can be used to detect breast and
prostate cancers prior to clinical symptoms," Nelson said. "All of us,
especially physicians, know the prognosis is best for patients who are
diagnosed in the earliest stages of cancer. Now we'll be on a fast track to
develop blood tests for early diagnosis, which in turn could help us
dramatically improve cancer survival rates."
The five-year survival rate for breast-cancer patients with early stage
disease is 85 percent to 95 percent, but it is only 22 percent in patients
whose cancer has spread to distant organs, Nelson said.
Additionally, Nelson said, better cancer-screening tools could lead to
benefits including avoidance of invasive procedures, false-positive test
results and the ensuing psychological stress and unnecessary treatments.
Lower screening-test costs are another potential benefit, he said.
The Allen Foundation was among the first to support the Center's early
cancer-detection research by providing $2 million in 2003 to help launch
the Center's Early Detection and Intervention Initiative, stimulating
additional grants for the initiative. A $2 million gift from the Allen
Foundation in 1996 helped the Center build a new home for its Clinical
Research Division.
ONLINE MEDIA KIT including photos and background information available
at http://www.fhcrc.org .
About Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
The Hutchinson Center's interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned
scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat
cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Center researchers, including three
Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health,
knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information,
please visit http://www.fhcrc.org.
About the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Launched in 2004 through the consolidation of Allen's six private
foundations (first established in 1988), the Paul G. Allen Family
Foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on making positive and
measurable change in the Pacific Northwest. The mission of the Foundation
is to build healthy communities and advance social progress through four
strategic programs. The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation reviews and awards
grants twice per year, and accepts applications from eligible organizations
located in -- or serving the populations of -- Alaska, Idaho, Montana,
Oregon and Washington. Visit the Foundation online at
http://www.pgafamilyfoundation.com .
CONTACTS
Christi Ball Loso Michael Nank
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Paul G. Allen Family
Foundation
206-667-5215 206-342-2000
closo@fhcrc.org michaelna@vulcan.com
SOURCE Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
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Related links:
http://www.fhcrc.org
http://www.pgafamilyfoundation.com/
CONTACT:
Christi Ball Loso of Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center, +1-206-667-5215, or closo@fhcrc.org; or Michael
Nank of Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, +1-206-342-2000, or
michaelna@vulcan.com
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